The term for chemicals that speed up chemical reactions is catalyst. Catalysts are substances that increase the rate of a chemical reaction without undergoing any permanent change themselves. By providing an alternative pathway for the reaction with a lower activation energy, catalysts make it easier for reactants to convert into products. They are widely used in various fields, including industrial manufacturing, environmental science, and biochemistry. Enzymes, which are biological catalysts, play essential roles in metabolic processes in living organisms, underscoring the importance of catalysts in both synthetic and natural systems.